LAPORTE — The Northwoods Writers of Laporte will meet from 2:30 to 4:30 p.m Those in the area interested in writing their own stories are invited to bring two copies of something they have written or just show up at the gathering every second and fourth Monday of the month The group will not meet on May 26 due to the Memorial Day holiday (WSBT) — Deputies with the LaPorte County Sheriff's Office will step up patrols ahead of Memorial Day It is part of their annual "Click it or Ticket" campaign for seatbelt use The national campaign will take place from May 17 through May 31 According to the Indiana Criminal Justice Institute They say despite the encouraging statistic this campaign is meant to reach the remaining few drivers who are putting themselves at risk Officials hope the campaign will help bring a safe start to the summer travel season (WSBT) — Your drive through LaPorte County could be a little slower for a few months There will be alternating lane closures staring Monday on US-20 between County Road 250 East and Oak Knoll Road The first phase will consist of alternating lane closures to help set up traffic for phase two with eastbound lanes being turned into two way traffic so the westbound lanes can be worked on Left turns will only be allowed at county road intersections through the work zone This project is expected to end around late July Close Donate now: Support recovery from severe storms across the U.S. Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resiliency Fund Program Manager Christine Laporte serves as CDP’s program manager for the Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resiliency Fund Christine can directly serve communities’ recovery and resilience needs to strengthen housing and small businesses in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s severe impacts from flooding and winds conservation and Indigenous rights philanthropy her expertise includes strategic cross-disciplinary analysis nurturing robust relationships and collaborative leadership she was a program director launching initiatives that weave human resilience into conservation strategies in collaboration with Indigenous leaders sharing “two-eyed seeing.”   Christine holds a master’s in human dimensions of conservation from Yale University’s School of the Environment and a bachelor’s in environmental studies from Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa which combined her love of the arts and the natural world all the while swimming in the Swannanoa River She and her husband were married along the river’s banks and her commitment to the Truist Foundation Western NC Recovery and Resiliency Fund’s work is fueled by her deep love for this special region and its amazing communities of natural and human resilience Give with confidence The Center for Disaster Philanthropy is a 501(c)(3) charity that has earned Charity Navigator’s four-star rating and Candid’s Platinum Transparency seal Made with by creatives with a conscience In a sport where representation still lags behind a sophomore softball player at Seattle Prep is determined to make her mark—and inspire others to follow only 6% of college softball players are Black While Black athletes thrive across nearly every other sport the numbers in softball remain surprisingly low LaPorte-Manahan said that a lack of generational history in softball combined with the difficulty of playing the sport casually where it’s easy to join a pick-up game at a local court softball requires more equipment and structured opportunities the sport becomes significantly more expensive—a major equity issue that disproportionately affects communities of color and showcase camps represent a large financial burden and LaPorte-Manahan pointed out that greater investments are needed to attract a more diverse group of athletes Although softball has traditionally lacked representation for Black girls began playing the sport she loves back in second grade “The only reason I started playing was because my friend and I had a good experience,” said LaPorte-Manahan I didn’t know anything about the game and that it wasn’t a sport that most Black girls didn’t play it became impossible not to notice how few Black girls played softball.” While LaPorte-Manahan had her pick of sports she was drawn into softball by the welcoming and supportive atmosphere she’s experienced throughout the years “I played soccer and basketball for most of my life I have been blessed with supportive teammates and coaches starting in the little league and extending through my high school and club team The people around you have a lot to do with getting you into the sport and how long you stay in a sport,” said LaPorte-Manahan “Being supported by people who build you up and help you move past an error or a strikeout is the difference between success and failure.” LaPorte-Manahan refuses to let the statistics of Black girls in softball deter her she stays focused on developing and showcasing her skills as she chases her dream of playing at the collegiate level but I won’t stop playing the sport just because they don’t,” said LaPorte-Manahan “I have never been on a softball team with a lot of diversity “I would love to play at the college level,” she added and I hope that will grow over the years.” As one of the few Black players taking the field to play softball LaPorte-Manahan knows that she is constantly in the spotlight and can be quickly elevated or scrutinized for her successes and failures she also knows that prioritizing her mental health and staying grounded will allow her to focus on playing the game and having fun at the same time and I am still working on letting go of bad plays and strikeouts I know that the umpires and even other players will remember me which means that I need to be more careful than my peers do about how I respond or react to challenging situations on the field how they feel about you will follow from game to game and that is true with players and coaches from other teams as well.” “I just need to be aware of my actions on the field With more Black girls beginning to play softball at higher levels LaPorte-Manahan is passionate about raising awareness around the continued lack of representation in the sport She encourages young Black girls to give softball a try—reminding them that they belong on the field and can truly excel in the game “I think that there needs to be more images of Black girls playing softball across platforms because it is hard to see yourself doing something when you haven’t seen it done by people who look like you,” said LaPorte-Manahan “I am grateful to the Seattle Medium for trying to spread awareness It is harder than many may think to find opportunities to connect through softball and it would be nice to have a support network for girls who look like me.” — A person was cited for arson after a wildfire broke out in Laporte northwest of Fort Collins Tuesday afternoon A mandatory evacuation alert was issued at 12:31 p.m on Tuesday and included the 4300 block of W In addition, voluntary evacuations were ordered at 12:40 p.m. for the Cache la Poudre River area from Rawhide Drive to the new 287 bypass and north of the 287 bypass, the alert read These voluntary evacuation orders were lifted at 1:34 p.m The Poudre Fire Authority extinguished the second-alarm wildland fire around 1:50 p.m. The Larimer County Sheriff's Office cited one person for fourth-degree arson The sheriff's office only identified the person as an adult there were 1,319 contacts in the voluntary evacuation area and 822 contacts in the mandatory evacuation area Contacts are the number of devices registered for alerts not the number of structures or people impacted To receive NoCo Alert updates Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right lending a helping hand and following through on promises the owner and namesake of a Sebastian area petting-zoo and farm that served as an event venue and doubled as a nonprofit charity for those in need of medical devices Her death Monday followed a period of declining health and complications from muscular dystrophy said her longtime caregiver and the current operator of the nonprofit She said LaPorte Farms on LaPorte’s 5-acre property at 7700 129th Street which opened in 1994 the City of Sebastian recognized LaPorte before the city council awarding her and the farm a proclamation acknowledging its 30 years in operation “does an amazing job enriching the lives of so many people in our community fishing tournaments and a “menagerie of animals” to see from zebra In a video coinciding with the proclamation so it was my therapy … animals seem to bring out the joy and the happiness and take the stress away to see the smiling faces of children that come in,” LaPorte said in the video published March 21 also grew out of necessity as a means to supplement her retirement income after suffering a stroke and a rejection from insurance companies to provide an electric wheelchair she said the farm took on an advocacy role for those with medical issues also in need of devices rejected by insurance companies “I was declined to receive an electric wheel-chair so I figured other people would have the same problem with insurance,” LaPorte said in the video People in need of medical equipment such as wheelchairs canes and crutches can still request a donation from Laporte Farms “We’re still giving out equipment," she said insurance companies who had denied medical equipment to customers referred them to the charity “Otherwise (they) donate it back to somebody else.” She was named the City of Sebastian “Woman of the Year” in 2011 who was born in Miami and moved to Indian River County at age 3 She was diagnosed with the degenerative disease muscular dystrophy in 1978 She had operated the LaPorte Farms in a mobile petting zoo since 1994 After a separation and the subsequent death of her husband Throughout the years, LaPorte was in and out of the hospital and in a 2018 interview for an article about community fundraising efforts to pay mounting hospital bills she said she had been taken off a ventilator and hoped to out of the hospital in time for the farm’s fall festival “I am a cat with nine lives,” she said then According to a 2024 GoFundMe fundraiser dubbed ‘Help Laura LaPorte Get Life-Saving Treatment,’ LaPorte had been refused medical care by a doctor and was declined needed assisted breathing feeding procedures and devices following a worsening of her muscular dystrophy symptoms The fundraiser drew over $3,000 in donations LaPorte said the farm was a her way of giving back It’s very important to me the community that I love,” she said Maloney said Laporte grew up on a ranch and developed a love of animals But what mainly drove Laporte's involvement in the farm up until her death she loves helping people – people with disabilities some people that normally society throws away.” Appeals court: Sugar companies lose lawsuit against Army Corps over EAA Reservoir More: 'A dry lifeguard is a good lifeguard:' Treasure Coast lifeguards become more proactive Corey Arwood is a breaking news reporter for TCPalm LAPORTE — The Laporte School will hold a community fair and career expo from noon to 4 p.m Local businesses will be on-site with job applications and opportunities for future planning More than 30 local organizations will be available to answer questions and provide information on summer jobs for ages 14 and older careers after high school and county resources Attendees can also participate in mock interviews it's National Star Wars Day and one local arcade is celebrating big The unofficial holiday comes from the iconic movie quote Full Tilt Arcade and Pinball in LaPorte hosted an all day Star Wars party Guests dressed up as Star Wars characters and played arcade games competed in Star Wars trivia and enjoyed themed cookies says it was also was a chance to give back "We're also doing a Give Back Night for the Pac Center today so people can donate their tickets to the Pac Center We're giving back to the Pac Center today as well as the local food pantry So this is a great holiday." says Hart by Asher Bookspan The LaPorte County Career and Technical Education South Campus opened this school year and offers eight different programs moving them from the North Campus into the new building Those programs range from Automotive Technology says the center provides students with the hands-on learning experience needed to enter the workforce "That's why this building is so remarkable because it has the state of the art equipment available to our kids to prepare them to step right into the industrial world and have that kind of background on the kinds of equipment that they will engage in as they move forward into an industry," Notary said The center offers those classes to juniors and seniors in 7 high schools in the area ranging from New Buffalo High School in Michigan to South Central High School in LaPorte County Notary says the center's location is crucial to provide smaller schools with resources "So making it available to the region here in the in our LaPorte County really opens up a lot of opportunities to kids that their high school may not be able to afford these had they ventured on their own," Notary said Katherine Broadnax is currently the assistant CTE director and has seen the work students do and the impact the programs have on them firsthand saying it is a special moment when they graduate "That makes me excited knowing that they got the certifications they show me 'Miss Broadnax I got the certification.' 'Okay knowing that we're sending them out of here prepared," Broadnax said Officials say they hope to move programs from the North CTE center to the South Campus in the coming years Rita Health Centre in Cumberland after a brief illness he was a son of the late Wilfred and Gabrielle (DeGrandpre) LaPorte Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net at Hennessey First United Methodist Church officiated by Rev Burial followed at Hennessey Cemetery under the direction of Cordry-Gritz Funeral Home to Isadore and Gladys Clements Oswald and died Tuesday She graduated from Hennessey High School in 1965 Nancy married Charlie LaPorte in Hennessey on Jan and graduated from the University of Oklahoma in May 1969 with an honorary doctorate of pharmacy degree They bought Jansen Drug in Hennessey on Feb They owned and operated it for the next 43 years Nancy was a member of First United Methodist Church Oklahoma Pharmacy Association and the Gideon Auxiliary Nancy served the people of the Hennessey community for 43 years and considered those she served as family Nancy opened the pharmacy countless times after hours to get medicine for a sick child or a family in need She is survived by her husband Charlie of the home; one brother Nancy was preceded in death by her parents Isadore and Gladys Oswald Click here to read Kingfisher Times and Free Press Kingfisher Times & Free Press Copyright © 2025 LAPORTE — The city has now lost two previously awarded public safety federal grants that the Trump administration has canceled during a time of ongoing purported cost cutting in the nation’s capital The police department recently learned it had lost a $400,000 grant awarded in 2024 for technology upgrades That follows the administration's takeback of federal dollars awarded last year for the removal of as many as 900 old and unhealthy trees over a five-year period In both cases, LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody described the grants as public safety-oriented awards that would have improved response times for police and prevented the targeted trees from harming people or property by removing them before they could fall or lose large branches No matter the reasons for the cancellations he was especially dismayed because Trump has long touted public safety as one of his top priorities It’s a situation experienced by other communities nationwide who were banking on those dollars for various future projects LaPorte Assistant Police Chief Jim Ferguson said the grant was going to be used to update and purchase new technology some of which are now failing at the department of more than 40 officers “We were going to use that to upgrade those or just get new ones," he said Still hope for the tree grant?Dermody said he remains uncertain if the words “diversity” and “climate” in the city’s funding application were taken out of context by federal decision makers when they pulled about $750,000 remaining from a $1 million grant used for removing old and unhealthy trees The current Trump administration in the White House has long taken an opposing stance on issues such as climate change and diversity Dermody could not think of any wording in the police department’s grant application that might have triggered a sudden withdrawal of those dollars the word diversity was chosen to describe the city’s intent to create a diverse urban forest because new trees of different species were going to replace the mostly maples targeted for removal Currently, Dermody said, the city is working with the office of Rep. Rudy Yakym (R-2nd) and others involved with the tree grant application to try to recover those dollars awarded by the U.S. Forest Service He said recouping that money seems possible judging by some withdrawn grants similar to it across the country that have recently been restored Dermody said the only option for recovering the police department grant is to reapply for those dollars to be awarded next year He said the fate of that grant and many other canceled ones nationwide has already been sealed because they came from other pools of federal money placed under the direct scrutiny of Trump “The president has signed this across the board,” he said Dermody said he has long supported the need to control federal spending but exceptions to spending cuts should be made on previously awarded grants He said there’s no money in the city’s budget to replace those dollars and public safety could be jeopardized if response times suffer from officers going to the police station to do work they’re completing now with laptop computers in their vehicles on the streets or if a tree falls before it can be removed but we’re going to get through it," Dermody said "We’re no different in this fiscal matter than residents every day that have to live within their means.” (WSBT) — Two major grants promised to LaPorte are now off the table who were counting on those dollars to replace critical equipment that’s starting to fail LaPorte has now lost more than $1 million in federal grants — the latest a $400,000 technology grant for the police department They say the money was meant to upgrade tools essential to modern policing The police chief shared some ways in which the funding would have been distributed "This funding would have helped our department make some much-needed technological upgrades both in our patrol cars and at the station Not only would this have improved department efficiency overall but it also would have given our officers the tools to complete their reporting in their vehicles keeping them out on the streets where they are needed most," says the Police Chief Also withdrawn was the $750,000 remaining from a $1 million grant to remove trees It was meant to help the city remove nearly 900 dead or hazardous trees and replant a healthier LaPorte Mayor Tom Dermody says it’s frustrating especially since other communities are still receiving similar funds "This was a grant that was completed was meant for public safety of our residents I don't care whether it's Republican My job is to fight for the residents of our community and this grant is one of those things that we are committed to fighting for," says Mayor Tom Dermody the mayor says the city is left scrambling Dermody says language used in the applications terms like “climate” and “diversity,” may have raised red flags even though he says they were used accurately to describe goals like planting a variety of trees when you're dealing with trees there's no political side to keeping our community safe," says Mayor Dermody the only option is to reapply next year — delaying upgrades that the city says are urgently needed “This grant when it's not taken out throughout the community throughout the state throughout the nation Then we have a problem with that," says Mayor Dermody City leaders say they’re not giving up and they’re working behind the scenes to try and recover some of the lost funding We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Carol B. (Akey) LaPorte, born in Rochester NY on December 16th, 1946, passed away suddenly on Monday, February 17th after a brief illness. She was the daughter of the late Vivian (Akey/Proulx) Chrzan and the late Maurice Proulx. She was a... View Obituary & Service Information LaPorte created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories Made with love by funeralOne LAPORTE — City officials are hoping an appeal to their congressional representative might stave off the taking back of a federal grant they'd been using to replace unhealthy Mayor Tom Dermody hopes the reason for the feds reneging on the $1 million grant isn't that the city's application used the term diversity He said the federal grant application approved last year outlines achieving more diversity in the city’s urban forest as one of the objectives with the money “We hope the word diverse hasn’t caused a problem About $750,000 was remaining from the grant awarded by the U.S. Forest Service when the city was notified in writing on April 2 the grant was terminated Hawaii also battlegroundsLaPorte joins Indianapolis and Chicago as cities that may have lost funding toward biodiversity projects as part of the Trump administration's efforts to eliminate Diversity Equity and Inclusion initiatives across the country Biodiversity is a scientific term for the variety of forms of life on Earth with broad scientific acknowledgement it is critical to the survival of humans and other lifeforms reflecting about 6% of KIB’s annual funding would have provided Indianapolis with a more biodiverse tree canopy and made tree plantings more equitable throughout the city The use of the words “biodiversity” and “equity” may have been the reason the grant was revoked but taking back previously awarded dollars should not be part of the belt tightening “I’m a big believer the federal government has to live within their means and start getting control financially," he said He added cancelling the grant doesn’t make sense considering tree removal in this case is in the best interest of public safety with the risk to life and property damage from having many large trees at or reaching their lifespans so close to homes and vehicles a man attending a musical concert in LaPorte was killed by a fallen tree at Fox Park Dermody is leading an effort to have the yanked grant dollars returned He and other city officials met Tuesday with representatives of Second District Congressman Rudy Yakym and the Corps Network a group managing the money on behalf of the U.S said the monthly cost of tree removal last summer were paid in advance by the city King said the money was aimed at removing another 900 roughly century-old maple trees over the next five years The money was also going for replacing them with different species of trees that won’t result in the sidewalk damage that happened in many areas over time from the large it could take 20 years or more for the cash-limited city to cut down all of the trees currently identified as needing taken down The goal now is to set up a meeting with the upper leadership at the U.S we’re kind of back to square one on figuring out how we’re going to try and tackle this challenge,” he said IndyStar reporter Karl Schneider contributed to this report (WSBT) — An investigation is underway after a Michigan City man died Monday evening Police were called out to County Line Road just after 5 p.m after they received a report of an unconscious man laying on an access road 50-year-old Nicholas Irvine was found in the road and taken to the hospital where he later died Officers found his vehicle crashed in a ditch in a farm field between County Road 1100 West and County Line Road A preliminary investigation determined the vehicle got into the field from a nearby access road There is no word on Irvine's cause of death Princeton 22, Riverdale 11 (6 inn.): The Tigers ambushed the Rams in a football-like Three Rivers crossover in Port Byron Ryan Jagers led the Tigers’ hit parade with a 4 for 6 day and five RBIs double and five RBIs and Will Lott (double four RBIs) and Jack Oester (RBI) added two hits each while Tyler Forristall and Luke Smith had a hit and two RBIs and Stihl Brokaw had a hit and RBI Braden Shaw pitched the first three innings for the win six runs (two earned) and two walks with three strikeouts IVC 10, Hall 0 (5 inn.): Charlie Pellegrini and Jessica Casford had the only hits for the Red Devils, who were shut out on two hits in a nonconference loss at Chillicothe Princeton 2: The Tigresses took a 2-1 lead into the bottom of the fifth inning only to have the Rams score seven runs with four more in the sixth to win by the 10-run rule in a Three Rivers crossover in Port Byron Keely Lawson (double) and Kiyrra Morris each went 3 for 3 and Izzy Gibson had a hit and two RBIs for the Tigresses (6-7) allowing four runs and seven innings in four innings Ottawa 3, Princeton 0: The Pirates shut out the Tigresses on the Bryant Field pitch Friday night. At Geneseo: Princeton’s Camryn Driscoll finished second in the 400 meters (1:02.05) in the Geneseo Invitational girls meet. She also ran on the Tigresses’ third-place 4x800 relay with Jocelyn Strouss, Alexandra Waca and Avery Waca, who turned in a 11:28.31. At Metamora: Princeton’s Ian Morris won the discus (47.49m) in the A Flight and the shot put (14.09) in the B Flight while Landen Hoffman won the B flight in the discus (47.32m) and C Flight in the shot put (13.88m) at the Metamora ABC Meet on Friday. Also for the Tigers, Cade Odell placed third in the A flight of the shot put (14.71) while Deacon Gutshall won the C flight of the 110 hurdles (18.23). The Tigers finished ninth in the 11-team field. At Rock Falls: Bureau Valley’s Mya Shipp and St. Bede’s Lily Bosnich were double winners at the Rock Falls Invite. Shipp won the 400 meters in 1:01.57 and the long jump at 4.47 meters to lead the Storm (91.5 points) to a third-place team finish. Rochelle won with 133 points and St. Bede (69.5) was fourth. Bosnich swept the hurdles with times of 15.28 in the 100s and 47.87 in the 300s. St. Bede’s Emerald De La Torre, Kijah Lucas, Grace Millington and Leah Griggs won the 4x200 in 1:53.95. In the boys meet, Landon Hulsing won the shot put (14.64m) and discus (44.19m) and placed second in the high jump (1.88m) to lead the Storm (60) to a fourth-place finish. St. Bede’s Greyson Marincic won the 300 hurdles (41.5) and was runner-up in the 110 hurdles (16.69). Hall’s Joseph Perez was fourth in the high jump (1.78m). The host Rockets won with 141.33 points. St. Bede (35) was seventh, Amboy co-op (13) was ninth and Hall (4.33) was 10th. Copyright © 2023 Shaw Local News Network LAPORTE — The city did not wait long to name a new chief of the LaPorte Police Department making permanent the interim chief's elevation just eight days after the former chief resigned was sworn in Wednesday at City Hall by Mayor Tom Dermody who cited his dedication and experience at many levels at the department as among the reasons for the quick decision “I have no doubt in my mind that Matt will greet each new challenge with the tenacity and the commitment that the chief’s position requires,” Dermody said Drangmeister said among his top priorities is for him and Ferguson to work the streets several times a month to eliminate a natural barrier that can exist between patrol officers and the administration He also felt working patrols will lead to better decision-making by him and his second in command “It’s important so you don’t lose touch with what’s important Drangmeister began his law enforcement career as a jail officer at the LaPorte County Sheriff’s Office when Buell was the jail commander including a significant number of sandhill cranes Now the community is working to dispose of the carcasses they are being met with a new obstacle: bird flu nearly 1500 sandhill cranes have died in Indiana so far in Green County This is the first time the flu has hit the cranes this hard “This is the first time that H5N1 has caused a mortality event in the cranes at this scale There may have been someone or two cranes that have died in the past from avian influenza but this year it really hit them,” said Fleace Thousands of sandhill cranes have been migrating through Fish Lake in the past couple of weeks But well over 100 made the lake their final resting spot we had a big migration of birds between 2,000 to 4,000 sand cranes that flew in both in two to three weeks ago a couple started washing in,” said Sean Leone Leone was saddened to look out to see the lifeless birds but knew they needed to be picked up to avoid foul smells and vultures The DNR doesn't have the capacity to pick up the dead birds so Leone felt called to step up and help out someone's got to do something about it and pick up these birds I started getting volunteers together and asking people if they'd like to donate bags or gloves or whatever to help bring you into the community and everybody helps chip in and do their part,” said Leone Leone has picked up around 30 dead birds so far Fleece with the DNR said the risk to humans for avian influenza is still considered low but shared tips to Leone on how to dispose of the birds safely "I just told him to make sure that he and his volunteers are wearing disposable gloves putting them in the trash and then disinfecting any equipment that they use your shovels or forks or anything like that If you are interested in volunteering with Leone you can contact him at Iwantchangetoday@gmail.com The DNR is urging anyone who finds sick or dead birds to report them. Microsoft has announced plans to invest $80 billion on data centers across the U.S with two major projects already announced for northwest Indiana Joseph County are set to host massive data center facilities Local leaders are working through the planning stages there is plenty happening behind the scenes Microsoft purchased more than 900 acres of land at the historic St Joe Farm in Granger paying a total of $77.5 million for the farmland The county is currently working on finalizing the project details "Trying to understand what the total site might look like we're still trying to understand how many buildings where the buildings are gonna be located and what the water and sewer needs are gonna be,” said Bill Schalliol Joseph County Director of Economic Development Joseph County also plans on conducting a traffic study to address potential road improvements before the project begins Officials expect projects to forward in 2025 “Over the last couple of months they've done a lot of work on site trying to understand soil conditions and traffic and utility demands I think we'll probably spend a lot of the winter season working with their team on those issues we'll start to see some pieces of the project announced as far as what the site will look like Microsoft’s $1 billion investment towards a massive data center campus is also moving forward located on the southern edge of the city is currently in what officials say “Which is working through all of the permitting and reconstruction initiatives that need to occur in order for them to begin construction either later this year or early next,” said Bert Cook LaPorte Economic Advancement Partnership Director Officials say these projects represent part of a larger wave of tech-driven growth in the region I know we're all working towards making sure these projects are successful.. that we find the people necessary to staff the new positions that are being created And I think we're excited about that,” said Cook Both projects are expected to bring significant job opportunities and economic growth to the region Fresh off playing a crucial role in the most successful Chico State women’s basketball season in the last 10 years Makenzi Laporte grabbed her clubs and teed it up for the Wildcats women’s golf team at two spring tournaments Laporte started all 31 games on the hardwood for the Wildcats earning Second Team All-Conference honors while helping lead the team deep into March so her golf game was understandably a little rusty Her 30th-place finish at the California Collegiate Athletic Association championships was not quite the result she wanted It gave her a baseline to set even higher goals for both upcoming seasons and served as even more fuel for her unquenchable work ethic.Being a two-sport athlete at the collegiate level is a balancing act and a never-ending grind but Laporte wouldn’t have it any other way It is quite the routine that allows her to excel as Chico State’s only current two-sport athlete (outside of distance runners who compete in both cross country and track and field) and Friday morning she wakes up early to do individual shooting work in Acker Gym and joins her teammates for afternoon practices six days a week she heads to the driving range or sneaks in a quick nine holes of golf Tuesdays and Thursdays are packed with a full load of classes scheduled around basketball practice which includes night classes and after-hours studying She’s typically on the course playing 18 holes She is 100% committed to giving her best effort every day,” said Women’s Basketball Head Coach Brian Fogel which is what allows her to not only play two sports Laporte was a rock for Fogel’s 2023–24 team that went 21-10 overall and reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a decade She averaged 10.3 points and 5.6 rebounds and had a knack for coming up huge in key spots She had a pair of 18-point games during a seven-game winning streak in January that proved to be a turning point in the season She also erupted for 15 first-half points against Cal Poly Pomona in the CCAA Championship Tournament semifinal as Chico State raced out to a 20-point halftime lead and held on to cement an elusive NCAA tournament berth Despite the losses of All-CCAA players Brandy Huffhines and Zhane Duckett to graduation Laporte isn’t tempering her expectations one bit for the 2024–25 squad “Last year was so gratifying because we got off to a slow start but improved so much during the season,” she said “We lost a lot with Brandy and Zhane graduating but we have also brought in great players and have an older Our goal is to go even further and compete for conference and West regional championships.”Fogel shares Laporte’s optimism and reloaded the roster in a variety of ways an All-CCAA performer for Cal Poly Humboldt Forward Meadow Aragon will be back from a knee injury and Fogel expects a big leap forward from Ashleigh Barr They will join Laporte and fellow returning Second Team All-CCAA selection Jordan Allred to lead a veteran group.“Our frontcourt will be a strength this year and we should be a good rebounding and physical team,” said Fogel “We can compete with anyone in the conference.” as the lone senior to have been in the program for four years and knockdown shooter for the Wildcats.Laporte is ready for it and communicating,” she said.She did just about everything during her legendary career competing at Salinas High School and was twice named Female Athlete of the Year by The Monterey Herald She was a three-time Pacific Coast Athletic League MVP in basketball and a four-time all-league golfer while also competing in softball and lacrosse Her collegiate focus was initially solely on basketball and she accepted a scholarship offer from Chico State because the campus and program felt like a perfect fit. It wasn’t until she got to campus and word got around the athletic department that a really good golfer was walking the halls that playing a second sport became a possibility She played a few rounds with the Chico State Women’s golf team and found it to be the perfect complement to basketball “I played at least four days a week over the summer with my family (her two brothers are both scratch golfers) and they were competitive rounds so I hope I’m ready for the spring.” Also on Laporte’s spring schedule is graduating with a degree in communications which she is scheduled to do in May 2025. She excels in the classroom despite her busy schedule and was named to the 2023–24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team Laporte plans to pursue a career in sports public relations or sports media and is leaving the door open to coaching.     Laporte is relishing her senior year and finding comfort in the routine of shooting drills and collective work ethic and the way we commit to each other has been a perfect fit,” said Laporte “Chico State has 100% met all my expectations.” (Laporte averaged 14 points and 4.5 rebounds as the Chico State Women’s Basketball Team went 2-0 on their season-opening road trip in Fresno over the weekend Chico State Today is an official site of California State University LAPORTE — The Laporte School will hold a spring craft sale fundraiser from 9 a.m build kids' workshop kits from Home Depot and eat lunch at a soup sale There will also be pictures with the Easter Bunny from 10 a.m Proceeds will go to the school's spring sports program Office: (219) 809-0445 | On-Air Line: (219) 861-1632 | ric@wimsradio.com LaPorte County Parks is inviting the public to stop by Luhr County Park any time between 9 a.m May 16 to help the naturalist staff do spring cleaning on the native flower beds “This is a great opportunity to learn about native plants while giving back to the parks,” LaPorte County Parks exclaimed on their Facebook page A driver from Laporte sustained injuries in a single-vehicle crash Tuesday According to a Minnesota State Patrol incident report at the intersection of County 39 and Parkway Forest Road was traveling west on County 39 when it left the roadway and hit an approach Smeby was transported by ambulance to Sanford Bemidji Medical Center with non-life threatening injuries Road conditions were dry and alcohol was not involved in the crash and it is unknown whether Smeby was wearing a seat belt (WSBT) — A former LaPorte school bus driver was charged with two felonies operating while intoxicated and neglect of a dependent Heroin is what a LaPorte school bus driver was allegedly impaired by while recklessly transporting dozens of students in the fall Those allegations are in the probable cause information charging Kayla Pier with operating while intoxicated and neglect of a dependent of Michigan City is scheduled to make her initial appearance on the allegations Friday in LaPorte Circuit Court Pier was transporting 32 students from LaPorte Middle School to Riley Elementary School on that afternoon Court documents also revealed three of the students reported the driver was acting oddly appeared to be falling asleep and was mumbling operating the bus erratically and even ran a stop sign Director of Transportation for the LaPorte Community School Corporation went to Riley Elementary School where the bus sat empty after unloading the students he found her behavior to be similar to what the students described and noticed other potential signs of impairment like bloodshot/glassy eyes and the pupils of her eyes being dilated authorities said Pier denied using any type of alcohol or drugs she consented to a drug test which revealed the presence of 6-Acetylmorphine a metabolite produced by the body within 24 hours of using heroin Police said Pier resigned from her position later that day During her initial interview with police in mid-December Pier continued to deny using any illegal drugs she called police and stated “she had taken something” but didn’t know what it was until informed about the results of the toxicology test Pier then expressed a need for “help,” court documents revealed Pier turned herself in on a warrant issued for her arrest the previous week and was later released on bond Pier could face anywhere from six to 30 months on each count if convicted Director of Communications for the La Porte Community School Corporation said the students reporting their concerns about the driver exemplified the “see something say something” principles taught in the schools “All drivers must hold a Commercial Driver's License with proper endorsements and undergo regular medical examinations as state and federal regulations require,” she said Meyer also said the school corporation maintains rigorous standards for all transportation employees including mandatory random drug and alcohol testing regular credential verification and ongoing safety training MICHIGAN CITY ― There were zero lead changes combined in the two IHSAA boys basketball sectional games played at Michigan City Tuesday night ― but one surprising result The second contest saw South Bend Riley take care of Mishawaka More: IHSAA boys basketball sectionals: South Bend area scores, results, highlights From Michigan: Edwardsburg basketbal falls in regional semifinal contest This sets up Class 4A, Sectional 3 semifinal games of LaPorte (15-9) vs Here is how the Slicers and Wildcats both prevailed Tuesday night LaPorte never surrendered the lead in the first quarterfinal contest of the evening as the Slicers led just 5-3 through the first quarter “There was total defensive buy-in to the scouting report of what we needed to do,” LaPorte coach Jordan Heckard said “Penn’s a very talented team and have a lot of different ways they can beat you … Even though we weren’t really lighting the nets in the first quarter ― defensively The closest Penn reached the rest of the way was one point after a pair of free throws from freshman Caleb Coolman with 5:02 remaining in the third quarter LaPorte went on a 7-0 run from there to help take a 32-25 lead into the fourth Back-to-back buckets from sophomores Reed Raymond and Griffin Ott-Large to start the final stanza pushed the lead to 11 LaPorte never let Penn get within eight points the rest of the way Michigan girls basketball: 'Toughest road' awaits Brandywine after unbeaten regular season It was a disappointing finish for the Kingsmen who had won 12 of its last 15 games coming into the postseason including a tough 6-for-29 from three-point range “Give credit to LaPorte: we started shooting ‘3s’ too early and you can tell that was their gameplan,” Penn coach Barak Coolman said “It can be a tough place to shoot in when you’re not used to it A bright side for Penn is plenty of talent will return next year as more than 75% of its scoring this season came from underclassmen It’s a group that began the season 4-5 before finishing with a 16-9 record “It was a new experience for a lot of these guys “This whole year has been about learning and growing hopefully regroup and use this as motivation in the offseason.” LaPorte and Michigan City are no strangers The two faced off in Duneland Conference action Jan with the Wolves picking up a 74-63 victory “They’ve had a really nice year,” said Heckard of Michigan City “We’ve got to be better the next time than we were the first time (against them) we led at halftime and felt like we did some nice things but still felt we left some points on the board We’re going to look at that film and start diving into what they’ve done.” midway through the first quarter before they found their rhythm A catalyst for the surge was senior Jaylen Barbara who scored eight in a row for Riley to push its lead to 26-10 midway through the second quarter “He also had a couple open court steals to get some easy buckets,” added Riley coach Alex Daniel of Barbara’s performance “Once we get up and down the court and start seeing the ball go in the basket (Barbara) has been pretty consistent all year A rivalry game awaits Riley Friday against Adams The Wildcats won the first contest of city foes We know they’re going to play really well; (Adams coach Chad Johnston) will have those guys ready They’ve had a long time to get ready for us We have no doubt we’ll get their best effort.” VOTE: YMCA South Bend Tribune Athlete of the Week, Feb. 24 - March 2, 2025 After reaching the Class 4A semi-state round last year Mishawaka finished this season with a 5-18 record It was a younger team for coach Bodie Bender who feels like he saw improvement from his squad despite the win-loss totals “We have a lot of new guys that got their feet wet,” Bender said but I do feel like we got better as the year went on we have to have continuous skill improvement and get better Follow Austin Hough on X (formerly Twitter) @AustinRHough and on Facebook at "Austin Hough - South Bend Tribune." Hough can be emailed at ahough@gannett.com (WSBT) — Traffic on the Toll Road is backed up near the St Joseph and LaPorte County line after a pileup involving multiple semis and cars Police say no injuries were reported in the crash 4 passenger cars and 1 ISP vehicle were hit in the incident The eastbound lanes have been blocked off by the pileup of semis and other vehicles Drivers can expect delays as crews clear the roads Officials are asking drivers to avoid the area and take it slow on the roads The 2025 LAPORTE COUNTY FAIR Proudly presents Warren Zeiders on Thursday July 10th For tickets and information check out www.lpfair.com 2025 at the University of Louisville Hospital Billie Wilson; and a host of extended family & friends (WSBT) — There will be a new police chief in LaPorte Dick Buell resigned Tuesday afternoon following a lengthy career in various aspects of law enforcement Buell came out of retirement to become police chief in February of 2024 at the request of Mayor Tom Dermody who wanted his veteran leadership to set a positive example at the young department He knew exactly how to get the best out of his team,” Dermody said spent his first five years in law enforcement with the department before moving on to the La Porte County Sheriff’s Office where he moved up the ranks to chief of detectives and jail commander He went on to become director of La Porte County Community Corrections before retiring in 2019 He was named acting chief until the naming of a permanent replacement Dermody said Buell’s resignation came as a surprise but he also didn’t expect him to hold the position for a long time when hired “He did exactly and did everything that I could have asked of him the hiring of Buell upset the LaPorte Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 54 because past chiefs in the city The FOP threatened legal action and not to recognize him as chief which prompted Dermody to warn any officer not listening to Buell would be dealt with on the grounds of insubordination Dermody said Buell also set high expectations for his officers and “I think the City of LaPorte is in a better place because of him,” Dermody said Drangmeister said officers warmed up to and respected Buell easy to get along with and “a great person.” but he was accepted once people got to know him,” Drangmeister said He also said there was a lot to learn from Buell but he was most impressed by his ability to remain calm no matter what the situation and think of different ways to address a problem Drangmeister said he plans to apply for the job as police chief on a permanent basis it’s intimidating but you got to be willing to turn that page and go into that new chapter,” said Drangmeister a former high school football standout in Michigan City who went on to play in college (WSBT) — A woman is dead after an early morning crash Tuesday in LaPorte County Police say 22-year-old Macayla Boone was heading south on County Road 300 East when she crossed the center line and hit two tree stumps on the other side of the road She was ejected from her vehicle and pronounced dead at the scene There is no word on what caused the crash at this time (WSBT) — The clean-up of hundreds of dead birds is underway at Fish Lake 47 deceased sandhill cranes and 3 ducks have been collected WSBT 22 first told you about this story on Monday More than 100 sandhill cranes and other birds succumbed to bird flu leaving Fish Lake littered with the deceased bodies One neighbor organized a clean-up to dispose of the birds properly and safely If you are interested in joining in on the clean-up or want to learn how to safely dispose of the dead birds you can contact Leone at Iwantchangetoday@gmail.com You can report sick or dead birds here. (WSBT) — A former elected official and firefighter in LaPorte County has been sentenced for entering the unoccupied home of a woman without her permission and engaging in lewd behavior inside her bedroom of Wanatah was previously convicted on similar allegations at the residence of another woman Sullivan was sentenced Wednesday to 18 months on work release after pleading guilty to Level 6 felony residential entry He could have received an up to 30-month sentence LaPorte County Prosecutor Sean Fagan said the amount of punishment handed to Sullivan negotiated between his office and the defense was “the best possible outcome considering a whole number of factors.” According to court documents, a 38-year-old woman in January of 2023 was alerted by her home security system about an intruder authorities said she witnessed Sullivan captured by a security camera in her bedroom performing a sex act The video recording of Sullivan also contained images of underwear and other garments belonging to the victim Officers responding to her 911 call observed Sullivan in his car backing out of her driveway near Union Mills and took him into custody the woman knew Sullivan from him being friends with her late father He had also been visiting her recently to check on her furnace and perform other handyman tasks but at no time did she give him permission to freely go inside her residence The woman told investigators she just had the security system installed after finding things in her home out of place and having a feeling of being watched In 2018, Sullivan was sentenced to one year on GPS home monitoring after pleading guilty to Level 6 felony residential entry He was also ordered to undergo a mental health evaluation and take part in any recommended treatment authorities said Sullivan went inside the home of a 40-year-old woman without her permission and rummaged through some of her belongings That residence was across the street from the Cass-Clinton Township Fire Department where Sullivan was a volunteer firefighter at the time resigned during his first term as a LaPorte County Councilman after spending eight years as the LaPorte County Coroner Sullivan is also a former full-time firefighter in LaPorte and used to drive a school bus for the South Central School Corporation police said Sullivan admitted going into the homes of two other women without their permission over the last 20 years.